Big deterioration in the last few days!

[LadyA]

Two hours of memory & cognitive testing done this afternoon. Wasn't looking forward to it after such a bad night and morning with William. Then as the researcher was on her way to the house - minutes away - I got "that smell "! Hauled William off to change him and found he'd been manoeuvring his trousers etc - trying to get the offending material out to hide it probably, but I found him too soon! Undies and trousers had got hit though, so we had to do a complete change.

The tests were really interesting. Some I found easy, some tough. They measured memory, cognitive function and concentration. Some I wasn't good at at all, and then one mental sorting test - she called a list of letters & numbers, mixed up, and I had to sort them mentally and call them out, numbers first in numerical order, then the letters, in alphabetical order. And the list got longer each time. Eg she would say 3g7e2k4j. And I'd have to sort it mentally to 2347egjk. Not at all easy to do just verbally! But she said I actually got much further than anyone else they've tested so far in that one! But by the time it was over, I had some splitting headache! And having had to give 5 saliva samples in the two hours. 4 to measure stress levels, and 1 for DNA testing I was parched!

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[Jinx]

OMG sounds horrendous, I don't think I'd have done at all well!!


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[LadyA]

I found it fascinating! They will test again in another year or so, to see if my memory has declined!

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[truth24]

Don't think I could do that either. Get panicked in those situations and mind goes blank. Well done LadyA. You must be a high achiever!

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[garnuft]

My mother was asked questions in January this year, she correctly said it was 2014...I was flabbergasted, I wasn't even used to it being 2014 in January... mind you, she was still saying 'Merry Christmas'.

I couldn't remember what day it was today. I asked my big lad and he said 'It was Tuesday last week'... so I pressed the button on Sky to find out.

I often lose track of the days but I think you do when one day blends into another and weekends are nothing to look forward to.

I would have failed that test abysmally LadyA, so congratulations to you.

 

[pamann]

Well done ladyA what a test you must be a very clever girl

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[LadyA]

My mother was asked questions in January this year, she correctly said it was 2014...I was flabbergasted, I wasn't even used to it being 2014 in January... mind you, she was still saying 'Merry Christmas'.

I couldn't remember what day it was today. I asked my big lad and he said 'It was Tuesday last week'... so I pressed the button on Sky to find out.

I often lose track of the days but I think you do when one day blends into another and weekends are nothing to look forward to.

I would have failed that test abysmally LadyA, so congratulations to you.

Yes, but if you tend to have the same routines every day, and it doesn't really matter what day it is, you have no reason to remember, have you? So we were taught anyway - so some things like the date, the day of the week etc. are regarded as "meaningful memory" - and our brain disregards those snippets that it does not need to remember. So it's not that you "forget" what day it is - you have simply never registered the information, because it's not important to your everyday life. Makes no difference to your functioning whether it's Tuesday or Wednesday.

 

[LadyA]

Well done ladyA what a test you must be a very clever girl

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Eh, that would be no! Because the old chestnut, "Count backwards from 100 by sevens" - I had to tell her that I wouldn't even attempt that one, because I cannot do math at all apart from very basic addition if I have enough fingers to count on - not being facetious, quite literally! From the time I started school, figures just don't make sense. I can, and have, learned some of the tables by rote - those that have a good rhyming rhythm to them - the twos, fives, nines and tens - but that's it. And I couldn't pluck one out of the middle, like if you asked what's 5x6 - I'd have to start at the beginning and chant the whole thing ntil I got to that one! So I explained to her that I couldn't even count forwards in sevens, and never could have done - she said that's just the way some people's minds work, and not an indication of a deterioration, once it's logged that I never could do that! I also wasn't great at reproducing from memory a complicated diagram. What I found interesting was that one or two memory tests, she repeated them 3 times, and I scored better each time - even though I had not seen the pictures of the objects after the first time - she had just given verbal clues. Maybe I retain what I'm told better than what I see?

 

[Butter]

Very possibly: there is plenty of evidence that different people learn in different ways: visually, orally, kinaesthetically, tactile-ly .... did you learn to cook by trial and error? by watching your grandmother? by helping your grandmother? by reading and following a recipe? from youtube? listening to your butcher?....... it is the same with all forms of learning .... some of us learnt the alphabet by dancing and singing it ...... some by copying it .... some by reading whole words and then breaking them down ..... this is the reason so many religions have movement as part of the rituals: movement aids learning. Some faiths kneel .... some use their hands ..... some bow ..... some sit with legs crossed .... all involve physical stimuli .... beads ..... crosses ...

 

[LadyA]

BUTTER! How nice to "see" you! we do miss you on the forum, and wonder how things are with you?

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[helennicole]

Butter I rarely post but I have really missed you on the forum, I always enjoyed your posts. What has happened to keep you
away!!!

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[gringo]

BUTTER! How nice to "see" you! we do miss you on the forum, and wonder how things are with you?

I do so agree, without a bit of better butter, this forum lacks a certain 'Je ne sais quoi'.

 

[starryuk]

the old chestnut, "Count backwards from 100 by sevens"

I do ELSA every 2 years (longitudinal study of ageing) We do all those basic memory tests.

Only got to 58 this time without making a mistake (58-7=52)
Immediately realised but too late to salvage my score.

Next time, instead of picturing subtractions in my head, I shall first subtract 10, then add 3 back. SO much easier!!!

eg: 58-10=48...add 3.... 49,50,51

 

[starryuk]

BUTTER! How nice to "see" you!

Yes Butter! I always remember your advice when I first joined TP and loved reading your posts and imagining Never Never land.

Good to hear from you and hope all is well in your world...or at least passable.

 

[garnuft]

BUTTER!!!

She slipped in and out like a greased what-yer-ma-call-it!

Une crème Ninja..oh, that sounds vaguely rude.

Désolé pour mes petites fautes de français" peut-être.

 

[LadyA]

BUTTER!!!

She slipped in and out like a greased what-yer-ma-call-it!

Une crème Ninja..oh, that sounds vaguely rude.

Désolé pour mes petites fautes de français" peut-être.

You're so gonna get a smack for talking furrin!

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[garnuft]

You're so gonna get a smack for talking furrin!

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Lol

 

[Rathbone]

What's it all about? Welcome back Butter - great name so just had to add my two pennyworth. x

 

[LadyA]

I have purchased a bathroom scale! Was a bit embarrassed at the hospital on Monday when they asked how much William weighed, and yesterday when the researcher asked my weight, to admit I didn't have a scale, so hadn't a clue! If clothing starts getting tight, it's time to cut down! If it gets loose, it's time to eat more! but now I will know the numbers!

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[bemused1]

We could all do with some of butter's outlook in life dementia and everything else right now.How about it butter?